They get fired for being ill and they HATE it when you order Diet Coke: The secret hardships of being a flight attendant

Ever since the early days of commercial aeroplanes, globe-trotting flight attendants have had a glamorous reputation.

But now one flight attendant has revealed that the jet-set lifestyle is rarely as exciting as it seems.

Heather Poole has revealed in an article for mental_floss that cabin crew can be fired if they get on a plane while ill - and she also divulges the secret of which drink that they most resent having to give passengers.

Service: But flight attendants dread the prospect of having to pour Diet Coke

Ms Poole, who has worked for a major airline for 15 years, points out that it is a lot easier to be sacked as a flight attendant than in most other jobs, especially during the six-month probationary period.

Attendants have been known to lose their jobs because of not wearing their uniforms properly, and abusing their 'free flights' privileges.

But more surprisingly, they can also be fired if they fly when they are too sick to work - even if they are flying with an airline other than their employer.

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And if they do manage to hold on to the job, the problems they have to deal with range from cracking down on human trafficking to stopping people from smuggling dead bodies on board.

They also have to monitor the bathrooms to stop frisky passengers trying to join the notorious Mile High Club - Ms Poole says: 'If we ask you to stop doing whatever it is you're doing, by all means, stop!'

The experienced stewardess uses her article to reveal which drink flight attendants most dislike - Diet Coke, whose fizz makes it so hard to pour that it takes three times longer to serve than other beverages.

Hemlines: More senior stewardesses are allowed to wear shorter skirts

And while cabin crew may seem to be calm and unruffled in the face of flight delays and cancellations, in fact they are just as furious as passengers.

This is because most airlines pay their staff only while they are actually in the air, giving them an allowance of just $1.50 per hour when they are away from home but still on land.

However, despite the tough conditions faced by flight attendants, the job market for cabin crew is nonetheless extremely competitive.

When Delta took on 1,000 more staff two years ago, according to Ms Poole, they had around 100 applicants for each place, giving hopefuls worse odds than if they were trying to get in to an Ivy League university.

The airlines are therefore able to pick up the cream of the crop - leading to a surprising number of airlines employing staff equipped with law and medical degrees.

For those who do tough it out, there are a number of perks to the job - ranging all the way from the thrill of international travel, to the right to wear short skirts after a few months on the job.

Pilots have been known to target stewardesses with long skirts, Ms Poole says, because 'they know that new hires tend to be more flattered by their advances'.